Manhunt for suspect in fatal shooting leads to delay in opening gates at Players Championship
Updated . First published
A man shot and killed two people in a drug store parking lot near the TPC Sawgrass and then escaped by going onto TPC Sawgrass, leading The Players Championship to delay opening gates as a precaution before the third round Sunday morning, authorities said.
St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick said the suspect, whom he identified as Christian Barrios, shot two people multiple times at about 10:30pm Friday (local time; 7:30am Saturday AEDT) in the parking lot of Walgreens in what he called a domestic violence situation. The store is located about a mile from the course.
Authorities say he was captured at about 8am Saturday (local time; 11pm Saturday AEDT) in Nassau County, the far northeastern county in Florida located an hour north of the TPC Sawgrass.
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TPC Sawgrass. Getty
The PGA cited “operational considerations” in deciding not to open the gates on time. The first round began as scheduled, but hospitality areas were delayed for up to three hours and the gates were opened shortly after play resumed.
Hardwick said canine units pursued Barrios onto the TPC Sawgrass after the shooting. He said Barrios, who turned 32 on Saturday, at one point picked up a PGA Tour radio and later dropped it. He then stole a black BMW, and Nassau County authorities pursued the car and forced a crash into the woods.
The suspect fled on foot before being found and taken into custody.
It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
Hardwick said the suspect had a long criminal history and knew the victims, both of whom were shot multiple times and taken to a hospital, where they died.
Sweden's Ludvig Aberg currently has a three-stroke lead from American Michael Thorbjornsen.
"I started with a two-shot lead and I ended with a three-shot lead, so that's a positive," Aberg told reporters after the day.
